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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. cue — a signal
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. staff — employees
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cue — a hint
  23. field — a subject
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com